Endless conveyer for supporting conductors or cables in vulcanizing tubes



June l0, 1952 T. K. cox 2,599,746 ENDLEss CONVEYER FOR SUPPORTING coNDUcToRs 0R CABLES 1N VULCANIZING TUBES Filed Nov. 50, 1949 A T TORNE V Patented `une 10, 195

2,599,746 ENDLESS CONVEVYER FR SUPPORTING ,CONDUCTORS OR CABLES CANIZING TUBES IN VUL- Thomas K. Cox, Randallstown, Md., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 30, 1949,: S'eral No.. l130,174:

4 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for coating cable cores,'or the like, with compounds of rubber or similary vulcanizable materials, and more particularly toavulcanizing chamber having an endless conveyor mounted therein for moving a covered cable through the vulcanizing chamber.

In the manufacture of cable having coverings of rubber or rubber-like material vulcanized thereon, it hasbeen found desirable to carry out the vulcanization in a straight vulcanizing chamber for the reason that it is undesirable to bend abruptly a core covered with such a vulcanizable material until the material has become'vulcanized fully.

In the vulcanization of rubber or rubber-like compounds on a continuously advancing cable core in a straight yvulcanizing chamber, it has been found that the coated core tends' to sag due to the length of the cable in the vulcanizing chamber. r)This tendency' is especially great with a cable core of large diameter due to its weight. During the early stages of vulcanization, it has been found that this sagging causes theI coating to be dragged along the bottom of the vulcanizing chamber before the coating has been cured sufficiently to keep it from being chafed or scuffed by contact with the body of the vulcanizing tube.

An object of this invention is to provide a conveyor for supporting a cable during the early stages of its travel through a vulcanizing tube and thereby eliminate undesirable chailngy and scuiing of the outer coating. Y Y 4 A further object of the invention is to provide an endless conveyor completely enclosed within a vulcanizing chamber thereby eliminating the necessity for seals at the entrance and exit ends of the conveyor. Y g E In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an auxiliarylpassageway substantially parallel to and spaced from a straight vulcanizing chamber is in communication with the vulcanizing chamber by means of two spaced compartments located at either end of the auxiliary passageway. An endless conveyor is threaded through the auxiliary passageway and the two spaced compartments in such a manner that it will carry the covered cable, or the like, being vulcanized during its passage through the critical portion of the vulcanizing chamber wherein the undesirable chafing and scuiiing of the outer coating would otherwise take place, as explained above.

A complete understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following detailed description When read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein y Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a complete cable core covering system and Fig. 2 shows an enlarged, vertical cross-sectional view of the vulcanizing chamber and conveyor. n y

Referring now to Fig. I, a supply reel I0, having a supply of cable core I I thereon which is to be covered, is supported by brackets or supports I2. The core II passes over a capstan I3 which is supported by brackets or supports I4, and thence through an extruder I5 in which a covering of a vulcanizable rubber or rubber-like cornpound is Vextruded on the continuously moving core.v After leaving the extruder I5, the covered cable core passes through a splice outlet box I6 and into a straight vulcanizing chamber I'I which is supported by standards I8. The ycovered cable core then passes through an exit seal I9 and over a capstan 26 which is supported by supports or brackets 2|, and thence to a take up reel 22 which is supported by brackets or supports 23. Anauxiliary'passageway 24, which has for its purpose the acccommodation of the return portion of an endless conveyor, is in communication with the vulcanizing chamber I1 by means of two spaced ,compartments 25 and 26. The Yjoints between the vulcanizing chamber I'I, the auxiliary passageway 24 and the compartments 25 and 26 are' pressure tight. A supply of steam at high pressure for use as the vulcanizing mediumissupplied through an entrance pipe 2l and fills the vulcanizing tube Il, the passageway 24 and the compartments 25 and 26. A pipe 28 is provided to drain ofi" condensate to asuitable steam trap (not shown).

Referring now to Fig. 2, a driving sheave 29 is mounted Within the compartment 26 and is provided with driving means 36 (Fig. 1).. An idler sheave 32 which is mounted in the compartment 25 is also provided, and an endless conveyor 33 which may be of the chain, stainless steel strip, or any other metallic endless type, is threaded through the pasageway 24, around the driving and idler sheaves 29 and 32, respectively, and through a portion of the vulcanizing tube Il. The idler sheave 32 is mounted for rotation on an axle or shaft 34 which is in turn journalled in a journal block 35. The journal block 35 is supported for horizontal movement by slides 43 which are positioned in guideways 44 on the inner walls of compartment 25. A seal 36 is provided in the compartment 25 to allow the passage therethrough of a rod 3l having a head 38 thereon. A

fixed bracket 40 on the support I8 (Fig. 2) has a compression spring l mounted thereon and the rod 3T extends coaxally through the spring 4I. The spring 4|, therefore, exerts a force against the inner side of the head 35, thus causing the rod 3l to be pulled to the right (Fig. 2). The left hand end of rod 31 terminates in an enlarged portion 42 which is secured in the sliding journal member 35. Thus it Will be seen that an automatic slack take up mechanism is provided which serves to maintain the proper'tension on the conveyor 3B at all times.

It is to be noted that the idler sheave 32 and,

consequently, the conveyor 33 `must be placed at a sufficient distance away from the entrance to the vulcanizing chamber to permitY the vulcanizable covering to be vulcanized on the exterior thereof to an extent suicient to prevent it from sticking to the conveyor. The length of the conveyor 33 is in turn dependent upon the lengthof time necessary to vulcanize the moving cable sufficiently toprevent damage thereto by subsequent -contact with thebody of the vulcanizing tube l1. It is further to be noted that, although .the auxiliary Apassageway 24 has been indicated Yon the drawing as being .parallelto the main vulcanizing tube Il, it is obvious that ,absolute parallelism is not a necessity, since it body the ,principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What vis claimed'is:

1. In a continuous vulcanization apparatus, the combinationV of van elongated vvulcanizing Ychamber, means substantially sealing the ends of the vulcani2ing chamber .for .permitting a cable or theliketo be-advanced Vthrough the chamber, means for introducing steam under pressure into the vulcanizing chamber, van elongated auxiliary chamber extending .along the bottom of said vulcanizingch'amberfa pair of spaced compartments connecting the two chambers, a driving sheave mounted inone of said compartments, an idler sheave --mounted in the other vof said .compartments vand supported bya slidable journal member, a spring loaded slack take up mechanism connected to Ythe -slidable journal member, and

an endless conveyor supported by the twosheaves 4 cluding an elongated vulcanizing chamber, means substantially sealing the ends of the vulcanizing chamber, means for introducing steam under pressure into the vulcanizing chamber, an elongated auxiliary chamber parallel to the vulcanizing chamber, compartments connecting the chambers, Aand an endless belt threaded through a portion of the vulcanizing chamber, the auxiliary chamber and the compartments, said endless belt serving to support a cable or the like having a vulcanizable cover thereon during its passage through a part of the vulcanizing chamber.

3. Continuous vulcanization apparatus including an elongated vulcanizing chamber, an elongated auxiliary chamber extending along the vulcanizing chamber, means substantially sealing the ends of the vulcanizing chamber, compartments connecting the two chambers, and an endless conveyor threaded through a portion of the vulcanizing chamber, the auxiliarychamber and the compartments, said endless conveyor serving Ato support a cable or the like having .a vulcanizable covering thereon during its passage through the vulcanizing chamber.

4. A continuous vulcanizing apparatus, .which comprises an elongated vulcanizing tube ,extending generally horizontally, said vulcanizing tube having a pair of openings in the bottom wall thereof each positioned Vnear one end of the tube, means sealing the ends of the .tube .and permitting a lamentary article 4composed vat least partially of vulcanizable compound .to `be advanced continuously through the tube, a .generally U-shaped tube sealed to the vulcanizing tube in a position in which the arms .of the U- shaped tube communicate with the openings in the vulcanizing tube, a pair of sheaves .mounted in the arms of the U-shaped tube, and an endless conveyor element mounted on the sheaves and extending through the U-shaped tube .and along the bottom of the interior of the vulcanizing tube for supporting the .article as it Yis-.advanced through the vulcanizing tube.

THOMAS K. COX.

REFERENCES CITED The following r'references are Aof record in .the file of this patent:

UNITED ST1-FES PATENTS Number NameV Date 277,019 Eddy yMay V8, y1883 1,633,591 LamploughV June 28, '1927 1,825,282 Peelle Sept. '29,1931 1,905,663 Wallace Aprf25v19'33 2,135,763 Nicholson Nov. '8, 1938 2,200,262 Daley -et al. May 14, 1940 2,281,360 Renaur May s, -1942 2,291,344 Powell July 2s, .-1-'942 2,373,816 De 'Roche t a1. Apr. 1"?, 1945 

